Areas of Experience

Halophilic petrophiles

Host-parasite interactions

Cellular microbiology

Microbial pathogenesis

Halophilic microbes

Microbes and health

About Betsy Kleba, Ph.D.

BACKGROUND

Dr. Betsy Kleba works with microbes that inhabit extreme environments. Her interest in “life at the extreme” began when she entered graduate school to study the molecular characteristics of the tiny fraction of microbes with the unique capacity to cause disease in humans. After earning a PhD in infectious diseases and immunity from U.C. Berkeley, Betsy continued her work at an NIH research facility dedicated to the study of microbial pathogens. Now as an assistant professor at Westminster College she works with her students on projects that examine microbial life inhabiting the extreme environments of Utah’s unique geography: Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) and Great Salt Lake (GSL).

In the courses she teachers, Dr. Kleba and her students explore the roll the tiniest of life forms play in ecology, nutrient cycling, agriculture, biotechnology and bioremediation, human health and disease, as well as the search for life beyond Earth. She also offers students seeking an extended and intensive research experience opportunities to explore the microbial ecology of two of Utah’s unique and iconic landscapes: Bonneville Salt Flats and Great Salt Lake. As remnants of ancient Lake Bonneville, GSL and BSF are characterized by their high concentrations of salt. Extreme salinity in conjunction with large seasonal temperature fluctuations and continuous day-time exposure to ultraviolet radiation render these two ecosystems inhospitable to most organisms. Indeed, any life forms that survive these conditions have special adaptations that allow them to endure what most other forms of life cannot. Thus, the students in Dr. Kleba’s research group work toward answering two broad questions: 1) what kinds of life can be found thriving in Utah’s extreme environments, 2) how are these life forms (extremophiles) able to survive where most other organisms cannot? By identifying, categorizing, and characterizing the microbial inhabitants of both aquatic (GSL) and terrestrial (BSF) salty environments her group contributes to the general understanding of the unique metabolic capacities of extremophiles providing opportunities for new technological advancements that have the potential to result in applications that impact bioremediation of oil spills and the search for extraterrestrial life. Thus, Westminster students engage in the discipline of microbiology in a number of ways, both on and off campus.

2000-2006 Research and teaching assistant, University of California, Berkeley

RESEARCH INTERESTS & EXPERIENCE

Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT

Primary Investigator (2011-Present) Biology Department

Research summary: Characterization of the halophilic microbial community residing in salt crust of Bonneville Salt Flats. Isolation, identification, and characterization of halophilic petrophiles inhabiting waters and sediments near naturally occurring oil seeps in the north arm of Great Salt Lake.

Doctoral research student (2000-2006) Program in Infectious Diseases & Immunity

Research summary: Utilized scFv libraries to identify antigens exposed on the surface of Chlamydia for vaccine candidate identification. Developed selective permeabilization and metabolic labeling protocol to detect chlamydial virulence proteins that localize within the host cell cytosol.